Halloween

ARTICLES ABOUT HALLOWEEN BY DATE - PAGE 5

Every year that I have been writing this Nature Notebook around Halloween - with the exception of the year I took a hiatus from it - I write about something pertaining to the season. Usually it is something strange or spooky. I have written about wolves, spiders, cougars, rats, ravens, Indian legends, bigfoot and the dogman. The last two - bigfoot and the dogman - have generated the most reaction from people. For some reason there are many people out there that actually believe these things exist and insist on telling me their stories (usual of them is hearing a strange sound at night and seeing a shadow they insist is a large monster)

I still can?t forget the Halloween when I was about 8 years old and dressed up as Cinderella, complete with gown and a blond-haired molded plastic mask. I was happily collecting my treats until I reached a house where, to my horror, came another little girl sporting the same costume. She was leaving with her treat as I was approaching. As I stepped up to the door and yelled ?trick or treat,? the woman passing out candy took one look at me and said, ?you were just here,? and banished me without depositing anything in my bag. I was so shocked that I didn?

Oct. 17 ? From 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Castle Farms, the Charlevoix Children's House presents Fright Night at the Castle. Costumes are encouraged at this event hosted in the Knight?s Castle. Cost is $35 per person. Call (231) 675-3925 for tickets and more information. Oct. 24, 25 ? From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 24, and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Oct. 25 in the auditorium at Charlevoix High School, 5200 Marion Center Road, the Charlevoix Performing Arts class will present their annual spook house.

I loved costumes as a child - my grandmother made most of ours by hand. She perfected the Smurfs and Gremlins but decided to buy an Alf mask (his nose was too big.) She never made it to Hollywood design schools, but she always managed to win the West Virginia costume contests. As a child of the 1980s, I remember the girls who dressed up as punk rockers and my childhood friend who perfected the Pee Wee's playhouse laugh. I was Smurfette one year, and Strawberry Shortcake another.

To the Editor: My family and I headed downtown to celebrate my daughter?s very first Halloween. She had on her lady bug costume, she carried a basket shaped like a pumpkin and wore a smile from ear to ear. I knew she wasn?t going to remember this Halloween, considering she is only 11 months old, but I would. I?ve been downtown for Halloween before, although I haven?t in the last few years. What I remember was the Pavillion was packed full of people and booths that offered fun games for kids.

We Americans are used to having the right to live wherever we want. If you can afford to live in a community or neighborhood, welcome to the block. That is unless you're a sex offender. And with a proliferation of laws, whole cities are becoming off limits to offenders on sex offender lists. Most of the laws specify that registered offenders not live within a set distance from a school or a park where children congregate. In the case of California, it's 2,000 feet. California law also specifies that when paroled, you have to live in the county of your last legal residence.

Tonight the streets will be filled with ghosts, fairy princesses and goblins as children dressed as their favorite characters rush from door to door in search of tricks or treats. In the Halloween flurry of fun, youngsters get caught up in the excitement of costumes, games and knocking on doors for candy, but may forget some of the safety reminders they have been taught. The little goblins and witches will be trick-or-treating at the same time grown-ups are coming home from work, so let's all take it extra easy in the early evening.

You've seen it in movies?swarms of bats swooping down from the night sky and tangling themselves in the long hair of beautiful, scared women. But that doesn't happen in real life. Instead, bats attack people in boats. Bats go after people who just happen to be standing in their yard, in the dark, throwing jelly beans into the air. A salmon fishing trip long ago included myself, my parents and my older brother. We were just off shore north of Alpena. It was late evening and we were about to head in, when the bats started to attack.

Many people will be celebrating Halloween this week. Dressing up for parties. Jack-o-lanterns. Trick-or-treating. For you, enjoy this classic comic strip and get some laughs at: http://www.comicspage.com/broomhilda/index.html or at: http://www.gocomics.com/broomhilda/ For those celebrating the anniversary of the Protestant Reformation this week, check this out: http://www.agnusday.org/ Whatever you are celebrating, enjoy your week.

With Halloween just a couple of days away, I thought I?d share my top ten favorite horror films of all time, just in case some poor soul out there can?t decide which one to choose when making this all-too important decision. Keep in mind these are not for the faint of heart or for kids under the appropriate age. You can find most of these titles (if not all) at your local video store or online with services such as Netflix or Blockbuster Online. Enjoy and have and safe and happy Halloween!